Last Night
by Please.Insert.Name
Summary: They had been in hiding for only a week and yet Voldemort had found them. This is Lily and James's last night in Godric's Hollow.


Bath done, water remarkably still in the bath tub, and Harry looked up at her innocently, as if he was always this good. Buttoning up his pyjama top, no small feat considering how much he wriggled, Lily smiled indulgently, guiding small arms into small sleeves, little legs into little pyjama bottoms. He was fidgeting with his collar now, eyes screwed up in concentration as he tackled this newest foe. Lily still felt bad for what happened to Mr Ducky, his floating days were definitely over.

"Harry, pyjamas aren't that bad," Lily soothed, guiding his hands back to his sides. Looking up at her, blazing green eyes half shut with tiredness, Harry tried to stifle a yawn, the battle with the collar swiftly forgotten.

"How is our little niffler doing?" asked James, poking his head round the door.

"Water still in bathtub, Mr Ducky the Second still floating, and pyjamas on. He's being surprisingly good."

James chuckled, entering the room and picking up Harry, "What's got into you, Harry?"

Harry blinked at him sleepily, once again trying to stifle a yawn with his chubby fist.

"It must be me, I'm a good influence," offered Lily, taking Harry from him and rocking him gently.

"Are you trying to say I'm not? That hurts Lil, that really hurts," replied James, in a performance worthy of any Shakespearean actor.

"Well I found you helping Harry wage war on the bath toys last week. Was it really necessary to blow up Mr Ducky?"

"I told you Lil, Mr Ducky was in charge of the Amphibious Assassins, they were out to get Monsieur Crab, and you know how much Harry loves Monsieur Crab. As a member of the Order it was my duty to help, and it was quite touch and go for a while" replied James, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I'd rather you taught our son to resort to non-violent means, all that was left of Mr Ducky was the squeaker. Would you not say that is excessive force, Mr Potter?"

"Our son" echoed James, looking at Harry tenderly "Y'know, it still feels like a dream."

"I'm scared," said Lily, leaning into his embrace.

"I am too, but it will be alright, the Fidelius Charm will protect us," said James, burying his face into her hair.

"Maybe you're right," whispered Lily, Harry now fast asleep in her arms.

"Of course I'm right, anyway is this any way to spend Halloween? Everyone is having fun, so this little man," James ruffled Harry's hair, "should go to bed, and you should come downstairs and enjoy the -"

Lily gasped, what felt like wave of cold water cascaded down her. As soon as it had started it was over, and feeling her clothing, she noticed she was dry.

Blue eyes met green.

"No..." she whispered, the levity from before forgotten as realisation dawned.

"He's here", James said, the words slicing into Lily like a knife and she clutched Harry closer to her.

"We need to leave," said Lily.

A sound resounded from downstairs… The unmistakable sound of the front door being blown in.

"It's too late for that, take Harry and go, I'll hold him off," shouted James, his voice tinged with urgency as he bolted down the stairs.

Running to the nursery, Lily tried to apparate, but felt herself coming against what felt like brick wall. Panic seared her chest, and she placed Harry in his cot and turned to face the door. The hallways flashed with bright green light, and she heard footsteps moving slowly up the stairs.

She knew with dead certainty that that was not James coming up the stairs. Her life had become a series of steps, each one shortening it.

One step

 _She was back in the Great Hall, she could hear the Sorting Hat yell "GRYFINDOR". She remembered the hat being lifted from her head, the sound of cheering, but her eyes were drawn to a boy in the crowd who she remembered from the train… She thought his name was James…_

Two, three, four…

 _They called themselves the Marauders. Arrogant fools who tormented Severus. Yet, not matter how many times she turned James down, he would still ask her out..._

Five, six, seven...

 _She finally relented in Seventh Year, a year later they were married. It had been a small affair, and on their honeymoon they had decided to join the Order…_

Eight, nine, ten…

 _They felt like they were making a difference. If they could defy Voldemort three times then why couldn't others? Although it had gotten more complicated when they found out she was pregnant..._

Eleven, twelve, thirteen.

 _Harry had given then cause to stop and hide. She knew hiding had frustrated James, she too missed fighting for the Order, but then they heard about the prophecy..._

Fourteen, fifteen.

Lily's mind snapped back to the present. He was on the landing and three things were suddenly clear to her.

One.

James was dead.

Two.

She couldn't win by herself.

Three.

Peter had betrayed them.

The door to the nursery opened revealing a hooded figure, searing red eyes shining in the darkness. Lily backed up towards the cot, placing herself between Voldemort and Harry.

"Stand aside," hissed Voldemort, taking a further step into the room.

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-" "This is my last warning-" "Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — I'll do anything..."

Green light exploded throughout the room as Voldemort's curse hit her in the chest. Falling, she heard Harry crying, Voldemort approaching the cot, and in her last moments of consciousness she knew she had failed.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter and have taken Lily's interaction with Voldemort from the work of JK Rowling.

A/N: It's been a long time since I have written, but I hope you enjoyed this :)


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